Door closer arm adapter



Oct. 14, 1958 E. L. SCHLAGE 7 DOOR CLOSER ARM ADAPTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 1, 1954 INVENTOR. ERNEST L. SCHLAGE Y BY ATTORNEYS Oct. 14, 1958 SCHLAGE DOOR CLOSER ARM ADAPTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 1, 1954 INVENTOR. ERNES T L. SCHLAGE BY M M 97%:

AT TOR/VEYS v United States Patent 2,855,623 Patented Oct. 14, 1958 ice DOOR CLOSER ARM ADAPTER Ernest L. Schlage, Buriingame, Calif., assignor to Schlage Lock Company, a corporation Application November 1, 1954, Serial No. 465,844 4 Claims. (CI. 16-59) This invention relates to door closer attachments and more particularly to an adapter for extending the length of a door closer drive shaft.

Door closers of the rotary type, with which this invention is adapted to be used, are conventionally provided with a drive shaft having at least one end extending from the closer housing and formed with a noncircular cross section. This shaft end is provided for securement to one of the operating arms of the pivotally connected pair that transfer the shafts rotary motion to a motion for swinging the door closed into its frame. The aforementioned end of the drive shaft usually extends no longer than is sufiicient to'be adequately secured to said arm.

The operation of such a closer is most efiicient when it is mounted so that both arms swing in horizontal, spaced planes. However, many situations exist where it is difficult or impossible to so mount the door closer because of the existence of interfering structures such as fancy molding and like decoration. In such cases it has been common to add articulation to the joints of the operating arms to provide for angular mounting, which lessens the efficiency of the door closer.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a door closer arm adapter to permit straight, parallel installation of a door closer and its associated arms.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an arm adapter to extend the effective length of a door closer drive shaft.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a door closer arm adapter for use with a double ended closer drive shaft, which adapter is ruggedly and simply constructed.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a door closer arm adapter having seals to prevent fluid leakage from thecloser. i

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a door and frame looking down on a door closer provided with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the assembled device of this invention.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the device of this invention.

In detail, referring to Fig. 1, the device of this invention is adapted to be used with a door closer 1 mounted on the frame 2 of .a conventional door having a door leaf 3. Closer 1 is operatively connectable to door leaf 3 by a pair of pivotally connected arms 4, 5. conventionally, door closer I is provided with a rotatable drive shaft 6 (Fig. 2) which has noncircular cross section ends 7, 8, extending outwardly of the main body portion of closer I for securement of either to arm 4, which is commonly formed with a complementarily formed recess 9 (Fig. 2).

The drive shaft end not connected to arm 4 may be capped, as at 37.

The door closer shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is of the type described in my copending application Serial No. 234,362, filed June 29, 1951, now Patent No. 2,723,416, issued November 15, 1955, in which a pinion gear 10, formed on the drive shaft 6, is in engagement with a rack on a reciprocable piston 11. Piston 11 is forced in one direction by a helical coil spring 12 (Fig. 2) thereby imparting a rotary motion to drive shaft 6 causing arms 4, 5 to swing and impart swinging motion to door leaf 3. The ends of the chamber in which pinion 10 is positioned are closed by pinion caps 14, threaded into closer 1. It will be obvious that the particular internal operation of the door closer is immaterial to the operation of the device of this invention as long as the said door closer in cludes a rotatable drive shaft with ends of noncircular cross section connectable to operating arms.

Under conditions such as shown in Fig. 1, where door frame 2 is provided with irregular molding 13, adjacent the door opening, door closer I must be mounted above said molding on the flat portion of the frame. In such a case, considerable vertical distance may exist between the end 8 of drive shaft 6 and the top edge of door leaf 3 to which one end of operating arm 5 must be secured. Arms 4 and 5 must therefore be mounted with vertical angularity with respect to each other which, as previously explained, decreases the efficiency of operation of the door closer. It is in such a situation that there is a need for the arm adapter 15 of this invention.

Arm adapter 15 comprises a cylindrical body 16 having an internal cylindrical bore 17 and adapted to be secured to either pinion cap 14 by means of screws 18 with said bore in axial alignment with drive shaft 6. R0- tatably mounted in bore 17 is an extension shaft 19 having an axially outwardly opening socket 20 in the upper end thereof, formed complementary to the noncircular cross section of end 8 of drive shaft 6.

The lower portion of extension shaft 19 is formed to a smaller diameter than the main upper portion which is rotatable in bore 17, so as to provide an axially, downwardly directed shoulder 21 which bears on a concentric thrust for retaining shaft 19 in bore 17 against withdrawal outwardly of the lower end thereof.

The sides of socket 20, and especially the axially extending tangs 39 (Fig. 4) on the reduced diameter portion thereof, may be contained and prevented from spreading by encircling ring 28 which may be provided with an outwardly extending flange 29 thereon for engagement with an inwardly directed flange 30 on the upper end of body 16, to prevent the movement of shaft 19 axially outwardly of the upper end of body 16.

In Fig. 2 it will be seen that when body 16 is secured to door closer 1, as previously described, end 8 of drive shaft 6 is received in the socket 20; therefore, any rotary movement of drive shaft 6 results in similar rotation of extension shaft 19. The end 31 of shaft 19 opposite socket 20 is formed identical to the noncircular cross section of ends 7, 8 of drive shaft 6 for the purpose of being received in the complementarily formed recess 9 in arm 4. Thus, by securing arm 4 to end 31 of extension shaft 19, by washer 32 and screw 33 (Fig. 2), arm 4 is caused to swing in response to rotation of drive shaft 6 as previously described.

Since the chamber in which drive shaft 6 and pinion 10 rotate is commonly filled with oil or the like, it is desirable to provide an O-ring seal in annular recess 35 in the upper end of a body 16. Thus, seal 34 is forced against the lower end of door closer 1 by tightening screws 18 and encircles the juncture between drive shaft 6 and'the extension shaft 19 for the purpose of preventing oil leakage from between body 16 and pinion cap 14. In a like manner lipseal 25 prevents the leakage of oil or other fluid past extension shaft 19 and outwardly of the lower end'of body 16.

An axially extending flange 36 is provided at the upper end of housing 16 to surround pinion cap 14 for the purpose of absorbing lateral forces applied to arm adapter 15.

In the event that the door closer body 1 is desired to be mounted on the door leaf 3, in a situation otherwise similar to that shown in Fig. 1, the double-ended drive shaft 6 facilitates reversal of the closer arms without in-' verting the closer body. In such a case, arm adapter 15 is inverted, from theposition shown in Figs. l-4, and attached to upper pinion cap 14 with end 7 of shaft 6 received in socket 20. End 8 of shaft 6 may be covered by closure cap 37, and arm 4 secured to end 31 of shaft 19, as previously described, with arm 5 extending from a bracket attached to door frame 2. In this position arm adapter 15 functionsthe same as in the position shown.

Although the invention has been described and illustnated in detail, such is not to be taken as restrictive there of since it is obvious that modifications could be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. An arm adapter for use with a door closer having a rotatable drive shaft connectable to for rotation with an operating arm, said adapter comprising: a body, having an internal bore, adapted to be secured to said door closer with said bore in axial alignment with said drive shaft, an extension shaft rotatably mounted in said bore and adapted to be connected at one end to said drive shaft for rotation therewith, the other end of said extension shaft extending outwardly of said bore for connection to and rotation with said arm, means for retaining said extension shaft in said bore, first sealing means for preventing fluid leakage between said extension shaft and said bore, and second sealing means for preventing fluid leakage between said body and said door closer.

2. In combination with a door closer having a rotatable drive shaft with extending, noncircular cross section ends and an operating arm having a complementarily formed recess therein for connection to either of said ends, an arm adapter comprising: a body, having a cylindrical bore, secured to said door closer with said bore in axial alignment with said drive shaft, an extension shaft rotatably mounted in said bore and having one end formed with an axially opening socket complementary to and engaged by one of said ends of said drive shaft, the other end of said extension shaft extending outwardly of said body and being formed complementary to said recess for connection to said arm, means for preventing substantial axial displacement of said extension shaft, and a reinforcing ring surrounding said one end of said extension shaft for preventing spreading of the sides of said socket.

3. In combination with a door closer having a rotatable drive shaft with extending, noncircular cross section ends and an operating arm having a complementarily formed recess therein for connection to either of said ends, an arm adapter comprising: a body, having a cylindrical bore, secured to said door closer with said bore in axial alignment with said drive shaft, an extension shaft rotatably mounted in said bore and having one end formed with an axially opening socket complementary to and engaged by one of said ends of said drive shaft, the other end of said extension shaft extending outwardly of said body and being formed complementary to said recess for connection to said arm, means for preventing substantial axial displacement of said extension shaft, and a seal interposed between said bore and said extension shaft and having a radially inwardly directed lip engaging said extension shaft intermediate the ends thereof for preventing a fluid leakage through said bore.

4. In combination with a door closer having a rotatable drive shaft with extending, noncircular cross section ends and an operating arm having a complementarily formed recess therein for connection to either of said ends, an arm adapter comprising: a body, having a cylindrical bore, secured to said door closer with said bore in axial alignment with said drive shaft, an extension shaft rotatably mounted in said bore and having one end formed with an axially opening socket complementary to and engaged by one of said ends of said drive shaft, the other end of said extension shaft extending outwardly of said body and being formed complementary to said recess for connection to said arm, means for preventing substantial axial displacement of said extension shaft, a seal interposed between said bore and said extension shaft and having a radially inwardly directed lip engaging said extension shaft intermediate the ends thereof for preventing fluid leakage through said bore,- and a deformable seal between said body and said door closer for preventing fluid leakage therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,178,688 Stronach Apr. 11, 1916 1,364,034 Bryon Dec. 28, 1920 2,678,460 Oishei May 18, 1954 

